Car door



J. A. KWAKE June 14, 1938.

CAR DOOR Filed Dec. 1, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Il'llrllllllillliil In!!! J. A. KWAKE 4 June 14, 1938.

CAR DOOR Filed Dec. 1, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 14, 1938 PATENT OFFICE CAR DOOR Joseph A. Kwake, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland,

Ohio

Ohio, a corporation of Application December 1, 1933, Serial No. 700,450

6 Claims.

This invention relates to car doors and is directed primarily to the construction of sliding doors whereby the use of back stops to limit opening movement of said doors is obviated.

It is an object of this invention to provide sliding car doors constructed to incorporate means for limiting opening movement of said doors, thereby eliminating back stops and in which said means cooperates with a relatively fixed portion of the car to enhance the Weatherproof condition of said doors in their closed position.

A further object is to provide sliding doors constructed to present means for limiting opening movement of said doors, thereby dispensing with back stops, such means being of substantial length to provide an extensive striking surface and distribute the force of impact upon the door as it reaches full open position.

A further object is to provide a sliding door construction comprising a combined reinforcing and striking member.

This invention comprises the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification Figure l is a fragmentary elevation of an automobile house car showing the double doors thereof to which the invention is applied;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 2--2 of Figure l on an enlarged scale, showing the doors in closed position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the doors in full open position;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4- -4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6--6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on line 'l--| of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a vertical section taken on line 9-9 of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the meeting edges of the doors illustrating the adaptability of the'invention without the use of resilient striking means.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral [0 indicates the side wall construction, shown fragmentarily, of a railway house car. The side wall construction embodies front and reardoor posts H and I2 to which fillers l3 and I4 are secured to provide for the attachment of an inner wooden lining l5. Outer metallic sheathing i6 is secured to the door posts H and I2.

The door posts II and i2 and the floor I! define in part a door opening 18 which is of extraordinary length in order to simplify the loading of automobiles and other bulky lading into the car. Double doors are, consequently, utilized in order to close the door opening l8 and to this end a main door l9 and an auxiliary door 20 are employed. The main and auxiliary doors are supported upon the car by means of a track 2| secured to the side sill 22 in any desired manner.

Sliding movement of the doors longitudinally of the car upon the track is facilitated by the um of hangers 23, secured as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings adjacent the lower corners of said doors, provided with rollers 24 having rolling engagement with the track.

The main door l9 comprises preferably a sheet metal panel 25 in which horizontal corrugations 26 are provided. These corrugations preferably merge at their ends into vertical corrugations 21 and 28 formed in the metallic panel adjacent the forward and rear vertical edges of the door. The margins of the door are reinforced, the vertical reinforcements 29 and 30 being of the form clearly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. Channel shaped reinforcements 3| are disposed within the vertical corrugations 21 and 28. The rear vertical corrugation 28 is bridged by means of a plate member 32 secured, as indicated at 33 and 34, to the metallic panel on opposite sides of the corrugation. A sealing strip 35 carried upon the rear vertical margin of the main door i9 is adapted to coact with a guard strip 36 secured to the door post l2 in order to exclude the weather, cinders and the like from the car. With reference to Figure 2 of the drawings it will be apparent that the guard strip 36 fastened to the car presents an outwardly extending vertical flange 31.

The vertical corrugation 21 formed in the metallic panel 25 adjacent the forward edge of the door i9 is reinforced by means of the member 38 which preferably takes the form of a substantially sturdy structural member and which is secured, as indicated at 39 and 40, to the metallic panel upon opposite sides of the vertical corrugation. The bridging member 38 is substantially T-shaped in section and is disposed relative to the metallic panel so that the stem 4| thereof extends inwardly relative to the car and in alignment with the outwardly extending flange 31 presented by the guard strip 36. It will be apparent in view of the foregoing structure of the main door l9 that in the opening movement of said door the inwardly extending stem 4| of the T-shaped bridging member 38 may abut the outwardly extending flange 31 of the guard strip 36 and thereby limit the opening movement of the door. The bridging strip 38 is substantially coextensive with the height of the door so that the impact upon the stem 4| of the bridging strip produced by its engagement with the outwardly extending flange of the guard strip will be distributed along the length of said stem and there- J by avoid localization of stresses therein.

While the stem 4| may be utilized as an abutment member to limit the opening movement of the door it may be found desirable to provide a resilient means upon said stem to which the force of impact is transmitted and which is capable of dissipating said force. For this purpose there is provided a plurality of rubber blocks 42, one of which is illustrated in each of Figures '7, 8 and 9, so disposed that they will abut the outwardly extending flange 31 of the guard strip when the door has reached its full open position. Each of the rubber blocks or strips 42 is fastened to the inwardly directed stem 4| of the bridging member 38 by means of a metallic member 43 preferably in the form of a casting. The member 43 is provided with depending flanges 44 and 45 adapted to engage rabbeted portions 46 and 4'! formed in the rubber block 42. The casting 43 additionally comprises the attaching flanges 48 and 49 and the wall 50 which prevents displacement of the rubber block in one direction so as to avoid loss thereof from the member 43. The wall 50 is preferably formed with a plurality of bosses 5| and 52 adapted to extend into the rubber block so as to avoid theft thereof. The rubber block 42 is positioned relative to the bridging strip 38 so that said strip abuts one face of the rubber block, thereby avoiding displacement of the rubber block in the opposite direction and consequent loss thereof. This arrangement of the rubber block relative to the bridging strip dispenses with the necessity for the formation of a wall similar to the wall 50 upon the metallic member 43, thereby permitting assembly of the rubber block 42 with the metallic member by the insertion of said block into the pocket provided by the flanges 44 and 45 in the wall 50.

The auxiliary door 20 is substantially similar in construction to the main door l9. The auxiliary door comprises a metallic panel 53 provided with horizontal corrugations 54 merging at their ends into vertical corrugations 55 and 56 formed in the metallic panel adjacent the vertical edges thereof. The vertical corrugations 55 and 56 are reinforced by the channel members 51., A metallic post 58 is secured to the front vertical margin of the door by means of rivets 59, these rivets serving, additionally, to fasten to said margin of the door an angular stop member 66. The stop member 66, together with the deformed longitudinally extending leg 6| of the movable post 58, provides a recess 62 adapted to receive the front vertical margin of the main door when said auxiliary and main doors are in closed position. A wooden filler member 63 is secured to and carried by the metallic post 58.

The rear vertical margin of the door is reinforced by means of an angle member 64 which is securedthereto by means of rivets 65 utilized, additionally, to secure a sealing strip 66 upon said margin of the door. The sealing strip in the closed position of the door is adapted to coact with a guard strip 36 secured to the door post said guard strip being provided with an outwardly directed flange 31 as heretofore described.

To reinforce and prevent rotation of the movable post 58 secured to the forward margin of the auxiliary door under impact a reinforcing or bracing member 61 is utilized, as clearly illustrated in Figure 10 of the drawings. The member 61 is angular in section and comprises the attaching flanges 68 and 69 and an inwardly directed vertically disposed flange 10. The bracing strip is of a length approximating the height of the door.

The auxiliary door moves toward the left in the opening thereof. It will be apparent, then, in view of the foregoing description of the structure of said auxiliary door that in said opening movement the flange 10 of the reinforcing or bracing member 61 will abut the outwardly directed flange 31 of the guard strip 36 so as to limit the opening movement of the auxiliary door, thereby dispensing with the back stops customarily utilized for this purpose. In View of the substantial length of the guard strip 36 and the'bracing strip 61 the force resulting from the impact of the reinforcing member upon the guard strip will be distributed over a substantial area.

As in the description relative to the main door it may be desirable to utilize resilient means in order to absorb and dissipate the force of impact of the bracing or reinforcing member upon the guard strip. To this end the construction illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings may advantageously be utilized. In the embodiment illustrated a plurality of metallic members preferably in the form of castings one of which is illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, is employed. Each of these castings I, which may be designated as a striking member, is disposed in the space provided by the flange 10 of the reinforcing member 61 and the movable post 58. Each of these castings or striking members is supported in this space by the flange 10 and the movable post; Provision for such support is made by an aperture 12 formed in the flange 10 and a plurality of vertically spaced apertures 13 and 14 formed in the movable post. The striking face 15 of the metallic member extends through the opening '12 pro- 1 vided in the flange 10 and is supported in the aperture 12 as indicated at 16. Studs 11 and T8 are formed on the metallic member II and in the operative position of said member the studs extend into the openings 13 and 14 provided in the movable post. 7

Each of the metallic members 'H'is provided with a pocket formed by means of the horizontal walls 19 and and the vertical wall 8|.

This pocket, as clearly appears from Figure formed in the member H. In view of the fact that the studs 11 and 18 must move when the member H is subjected to impact the post filler member 63 is gained out as indicated at 86 and 81 opposite said studs in order to permit movement thereof. The position of the auxiliary door when it is opened to its fullest extent is clearly illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, it being apparent from the showing of this figure that the opening movement of the door will be stopped by means of the engagement of the resilient striking means with the outwardly directed flange 31 of the guard strip.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a railway house car having a door opening and a transversely extending flange adjacent said opening, means embodying a sliding auxiliary door for closing said opening, a post secured to the forward margin of said door for movement therewith, a reinforcing member secured to said door and said movable post, said member comprising a vertical transversely extending flange disposed in spaced relation to said movable post and striking means including a resilient member positioned between said flange of said reinforcing member and said movable post and extending rearwardly beyond said flange of said reinforcing member, said striking means engaging said first mentioned flange in the opening movement of said door for the purpose set forth.

2. In a railway house car having a door opening and a transversely extending flange adjacent said opening, a sliding door for closing said opening, a reinforcing member secured to said door adjacent the forward edge thereof, said member being provided with a vertical transversely extending flange and striking means including a resilient member carried by said flange of said reinforcing member, said striking means being engageable with said first mentioned flange in the opening movement of said door to limit said movement.

3. An outside sliding door for a railway house car comprising a sheet metal panel, an outwardly extending vertical corrugation formed in said panel adjacent to and within the forward vertical edge of said door, a vertical reinforcing member extending across said corrugation and secured to said panel on opposite sides of said corrugation, said reinforcing member having an inwardly directed vertical flange for the purpose set forth.

4. An outside sliding door for a railway house car comprising a sheet metal panel, an outwardly extending vertical corrugation formed in said panel adjacent to and within the forward vertical edge of said door, a Vertical reinforcing member extending across said corrugation and secured to said panel on opposite sides of said corrugation, said reinforcing member having an inwardly directed vertical flange, said flange being provided with a rearwardly directed striking means, including a resilient member, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a railway car, a wall having a door opening and a door post at the rear of said opening, a sliding door including a body panel, there being an element on said post projecting outwardly from the car wall and facing towards the door opening, and there being a member projecting inwardly from said door body panel near the front edge of the door and arranged to abut said door post element when said door is open.

.6. In a railway car, a wall having a door opening and a post at the rear of said opening, a sliding door of composite structure including a main door portion and an auxiliary door portion, an auxiliary post carried on said auxiliary door portion and arranged to be secured to the car framing when said auxiliary door portion is in projected position or to be moved towards said post when said auxiliary door portion is retracted, and means on said auxiliary door portion for engaging said post to limit the retracting movement of the door with said auxiliary door post spaced from said wall post.

JOSEPH A. KWAKE. 

